BIOLOGY OF THE TEEMITES OF THE EASTEEN UNITED STATES. 77 
ment, as is sometimes practiced, is effective in keeping out termites, 
since the portion that sets in the ground could not be treated, and it 
is usually at this point that termite attack occurs. 
Before treating timber with chemical preservatives, especially 
where the brush method is employed, it is essential that the timber 
be thoroughly seasoned, otherwise penetration by the preservative 
will be retarded. 
A treatment with "blue oil" is recorded as apparently effective in 
protecting wood against the attacks of "white ants," or termites, 
besides acting as a preservative (fungicide) generally. "Blue oil" a 
is the residue left in the distillation of mineral oils after the isolation 
of kerosene (petroleum) and paraffin; (a) the oil to be a shale product; 
(b) its specific gravity (at 60° F.) to be 0.873 to 0.883; (c) its flashing 
temperature to be not lower than 275° F. (close test). 
Many patented wood preservatives, advertised as effective against 
wood borers, often merely contain simple preservatives, as for in- 
stance, linseed oil, to which a slight odor of oil of citronella has been 
imparted, or contain simple poisons. For timber to be set in the 
ground, brush coatings with linseed oil are not effective against 
termites. 
An English firm manufactures a saccharine solution which prob- 
ably contains a salt as arsenic 6 ; this patented treatment is supposed 
to be efficient against wood-boring insects, especially termites. The 
wood is seasoned by immersing in the saccharine solution at 120 
to 140° F. This process is being tested. 
Impregnation with chlorinated naphthalene may prove effective 
against termites, as a preservative for woodwork, in interior finish, 
where a requirement is that the preservative should not "sweat" 
out, or stain the wood. Treated wood blocks buried in the ground 
with termite-infested logs were not attacked after a test of nearly 
six months. c Impregnation with paraffin wax was not effective 
(fig. 14). If the wood is not in contact with the ground, impregna- 
tion treatments with bichlorid of mercury and zinc chlorid are effec- 
tive. The mercury and zinc in this form are both soluble in water. 
H. W. Bates, in a paper entitled "On the prevention of destruc- 
tion of timbers by termites," Transactions of the Entomological 
Society of London, 1864, Vol. I, p. 185, cites preventive measures. 
M. J. Berkeley, in The Technologist, (London), 1865, Vol. V, p. 453, 
gives remedies based on the report by the committee of inquiry into 
"The protection of timber against white ants. Trans. Roy. Scot, Arbor. Soc, v. 23, 
pt, 2, p. 227-228, July, 191 0. 
Dixon, W. B. Protection from "white ants" and other pests. Nature, v. 85, 
no. 2148, p. 271, December 29, 1910. 
& Chemical abstracts, v. 7, no. 2, p. 408, January 20, 1913. 
c Impregnation of wood to resist insect attack. Amer. Lumberman, no. 2009, p. 32, 
November 15, 1913. 
